Buena football preview: Chiefs seek revenge vs. Middle Twp.

Nov. 7, 2013

Game facts

Middle Township (2-5) at Buena (4-4)When: 7 tonight Where: John J. Zucal Athletic Complex, Buena Coaches: Buena, Jonathan Caputo (3rd year, 20-27); Middle Township, Frank Riggitano, (2nd stint, 10th year, 57-63). On the air: N/A All-time series: Buena leads, 25-13. Last meeting: Middle Township 27, Buena 7, 2012. The Chiefs’ only scoring came in the form of a 2-yard run by Robert Bunton. Buena tried to air the ball out. Eric Rainear attempted 19 passes, completing nine, but he was picked off twice, including one that was returned 85 yards for a score and ended the Chiefs’ hope for a comeback. The Panthers led just 7-0 at halftime; the teams had combined for fewer than 100 yards of offense. Key stats: 0 — Times that Middle Township has been shut out this year. The Panthers’ lowest point total is seven, but they’ve scored at least three times in the last five games. 3 — Consecutive losses for Middle Township. The only wins for the team so far came against Pleasantville and Vineland, both by less comfortable margins than Buena had against the same opponents. 68 — Combined games over the last three years where managers Kyla Porcellini, Jena Leonardo and Sam Fiocchi have been on the sidelines. Porcellini, a senior and member of the homecoming court, has been a manager for three years while the others are in their second seasons. It may not count much toward wins and losses, but a steady presence from the support staff is never a bad thing. 7 — Consecutive victories for Buena over Middle Township before last year’s loss. Before last season, the Panthers’ most recent win was a 14-13 victory in 2004. 149 — Rushing yards for Rainear last week against Pleasantville, a season high. — Patrick Buganski

Key Matchups

■ Buena QB Eric Rainear (5 feet 8 inches, 160 pounds) vs. Middle Twp. LB Jim Versage (6-0, 210). A linebacker against a quarterback might not jump out as an important battle to watch, but Rainear has more than proven he has game-breaking ability to tuck the ball and run with it. He’s the Chiefs’ home run threat, thanks to his masterful ball fakes. He often picks up chunks of yardage untouched because the defense bites on his fake handoffs so much. Versage, one of the Panthers’ top defensive players, will need to be sharp, especially if everyone around him is fooled.

■ Buena LBs Neal Nelson (6-2, 210), George DiBiase (5-8, 155) and Tyler Dralle (6-0, 175) vs. Middle Twp. RB Yamire McNeal (5-8, 180). Buena’s run defense has been solid as the linemen clog the middle and the linebackers make tackles on the outside. McNeal can carry a heavy workload, so the second line of defense is likely to see a lot of him. Sure tackling and disciplined defense will be key.

Keys to the Game

■ Buena’s Rainear should continue to try and fool the defense. Rainear has the ability to tuck the ball and run with little to no attention being given to him since the defense thinks someone else has the ball. In fact, he’s building a reputation around the league for it. The advantage to him being effective in that aspect is two­fold. First, it picks up a lot of yards. Second, if the defense starts to follow him, afraid of being burned on the fake, that will open up holes for other runners, like Shaquille Scott (6-0, 200) and Sam Crouch (6-2, 200), who like to pound the ball between the tackles.

■ Buena should stay the course. The Chiefs have played well the last couple weeks. And all season, they haven’t been giving away yardage with penalties. The formula is simple. The offense needs to keep spreading it around and picking up yards, the defense needs to keep teams off the board and every player needs to avoid flags. A performance similar to last week against Pleasantville and even the loss to St. Augustine the week before would lead to a Buena victory tonight.

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■ Buena needs to stop the run. Pleasantville had to try to throw the ball against the Chiefs last week, and they only put up six points. Middle will throw if they feel they need to. If Buena slows the run and builds a lead, the Panthers will turn to quarterback Joe Durso (5-9, 150) to air it out. That’s when the secondary, especially cornerbacks Mike Britt (5-6, 155) and David Bond (6-0, 175) can step up.

Intangibles

■ Homecoming: It’s going to be a festive atmosphere for the Buena faithful. This is possibly the final home game of the season, too, since it’s looking likely that Buena will be on the road for a consolation game next week. The Chiefs enjoy playing in front of their own fans, and plenty should pack the confines of the John J. Zucal Athletic Complex.

■ Nothing to lose: Both teams are going to be on the outside looking in at the playoffs, barring something unforeseen. So this game doesn’t matter much in the big picture. For the Panthers, it’s just about rolling into next year on a high note. For the Chiefs, it’s about revenge for losing on the road last year, and it’s the team’s last chance to avenge a loss from the 2012 season.

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